The present invention is related to protecting against embolism, and more particularly to devices, systems, and methods for the filtration and removal of debris within blood vessels.
A frequent risk in medical procedures is the risk that the procedure will give rise to the formation of potentially life-threatening debris in the patient's bloodstream. Such debris may take the form of plaque or thrombi, which may travel through the patient's vasculature and become lodged in a position that blocks blood flow. For example, during coronary interventions, plaque may become dislodged and/or thrombi may form, both of which could migrate to the carotid arteries, possibly blocking the carotid arteries and causing a stroke.
Moreover, during a heart attack the left atrium can stop beating or go into fibrillation, which will cause temporary stagnation of blood. This blood can coagulate and form clots that can migrate once the heart is returned to normal rhythm. Emergency angioplasty or stent placement may be performed to treat the attack but such procedures typically don't alleviate the problems associated with the coagulated blood.